Portable communications devices and data storage devices-cellular telephones or “cell phones”, walkie-talkies, wireless internet devices, such as the Blackberry™, portable music players and storage devices such as the MP3 player and the Apple® iPod™, portable digital assistants (PDAs), and so forth—are becoming increasingly popular. Consumer acceptance and demand for these devices is driven by their convenience, versatility, and increasingly small size and light weight. In many remote areas, the only way to obtain reliable telephone service—or any telephone service at all—is via cellular telephone.
Because these devices are portable, their owners take them and use them everywhere, including in motor vehicles (cars, boats, airplanes, tractors, etc.). A cell phone or other portable communications device can usually be stored in a handbag, briefcase, or pocket when not in use. However, it is frequently necessary to use the device while in a vehicle, and few vehicles are equipped with suitable holders for these types of devices.
Holders for cell phones and other devices are available; some of these are adjustable for use with telephones of different sizes. However many of these holders will work only for a particular type of cell phone and many cannot be used with other electronic devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,938 to Fauchald shows a device where the portable phone slides into a “U” shaped cavity where a snap device presses on the side of the phone to give it a friction fit in the holder. This invention will work well for portable phones of a specific width or depth but will not work for electronic devices where there is a significant variation in the width or depth of the device. Portable phones, PDAs, MP3s and portable music players come in all different widths and depths and will not all fit in the device. The device also precludes the attachment of charging cords or other electronic attachments such as ear phones or computer cables from certain areas of the holder where the holder interferes with access to charging, earphone or data ports. Another invention that will fit a very limited range of portable electronic devices due to the depth or width of the holders is U.S. Pat. No. D392,646 to Tetsufumi. The Tetsufumi invention details a holder that will fit only a specific size of portable electronic device. It closes off access to the sides and bottom of the device and limits the number and type of attachments that may be used with the device while carried in the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,302 to Rytkoen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,113 to Fan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,071 to Fan and U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,744 to Richter all show portable phone holders that have adjustable and/or spring loaded sides that hold the phone by pressing on each side with some type of clamping or friction surface. All of these inventions cover much of the side of the phones and may interfere with the attachment of earphones, chargers or other data access cables. These types of inventions make it difficult to operate some types of phones where operation buttons are on the side of the phone and not just on the front keypad. These inventions all require some type of permanent mounting in the vehicle and are not easily transportable between vehicles without installing a new attachment bracket.
Many presently-available holders can only be used with a specific size or even a specific model of device. Others require complicated adjustments, or are inconvenient for users who frequently move their cell phones (or other devices) to different locations. Some require use of spaces or devices within the motor vehicle that might be otherwise useful, for example, a molded-in cupholder or the DC voltage plug-in. Yet others restrict access to regions of the communication device that are imperative to its use, especially in a motor vehicle, such as the power port or hands free port.
There is a need for a simple, versatile holder that can be mounted in the interior of a vehicle, and that can be adjusted to securely yet removably hold portable communications devices of different sizes and configurations.